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Taxon  Report  
Portulacaria afra  (L.) Jacq.
Elephant bush
Portulacaria afra is an annual herb that is not native to California.
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Genus: Portulacaria
Family: Portulacaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Information about  Portulacaria afra from other sources
USDA PLANTS Profile (POAF)

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[Wikipedia] South Africa native, Description: Portulacaria afra (known as elephant bush, porkbush, purslane tree, dwarf jade and spekboom in Afrikaans) is a small-leaved succulent plant found in South Africa. These succulents commonly have a reddish stem and leaves that are green, but also a variegated cultivar is often seen in cultivation. They are simple to care for and make easy houseplants for a sunny location. In frost-free regions they may be used in outdoor landscaping. Description It is a soft-wooded, semi-evergreen upright shrub or small tree, usually 2.5?4.5 metres (8?15 ft) tall. It is sometimes confused with Crassula ovata (Jade plant), which it is not closely related to. P. afra has smaller and rounder pads and more compact growth (shorter internodal spaces, down to 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in)). It is much hardier, faster growing, more loosely branched, and has more limber tapering branches than Crassula once established.[1] The genus Portulacaria has been shown to be an outlier, relatively unrelated to the other genera in the family, which are all restricted to small ranges in the arid far west of Southern Africa.[2] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/02/2024).